


Nice Pipes

by chailattemusings



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 03:57:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/948355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chailattemusings/pseuds/chailattemusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael hears Ray singing at work, and wants to hear more. </p>
            </blockquote>





	Nice Pipes

Fluff, SFW, swearing, 4080 words, Raychael. 

Michael felt his stomach rumble, and glanced at the clock. It was nearing lunch time. He looked back at the video he was editing. He saved and turned his computer off, peering around the room as he prepared to leave. Ray already went to eat. Jack and Ryan were discussing a new game. Geoff seemed distracted and, if Michael was honest, incredibly drunk. Gavin was working quietly, though just ten minutes ago he tried to bug Michael. Memorial Day weekend started when they got out of work, and everyone had already checked out. Michael looked forward to three days of chilling and playing video games, but not before he got this last video out today.

And that couldn’t be done without food. Michael hurried from the office to the break room where he had his lunch stashed in the fridge. The halls were silent. Most of the employees took off early for family vacations. Michael made his way through, hearing music as he approached the break room and dismissing it quickly.

The music got louder as he walked, until Michael was just outside the door and could finally tell that it wasn’t music, but rather someone singing.

He paused, his hand near the doorknob. Through the wood, he heard someone singing to himself. It was undoubtedly a man, but it wasn’t until Michael paid attention to the lyrics that he could tell who it was.

“Baby, you light up my world like nobody else.” It was Ray, quiet enough that it wouldn’t bother anyone in the office, and loud enough that Michael could be impressed with how good it sounded. He leaned closer to the door, listening. “The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,” the Puerto Rican continued, his voice ebbing as he moved around the room. Michael snickered a bit. He never pictured Ray as a singer. The only time he heard anything close was when they sang jokingly during Let’s Plays.

Ray sounded like a manlier version of the teen singers, the lyrics that annoyed Michael when he heard them on TV actually making him want to bop his head a little to the music. He waited a moment longer, still listening, before he opened the door.

The younger man jumped, head swerving to Michael as he dropped the last piece of bread for his sandwich. Ray blushed bright red and tried to hide it, turning to look at the counter. “Oh, hey, Michael,” he said, his voice no longer melodic and confident.

“Hey.” Michael played dumb as he went to the fridge to retrieve his day old burger and soda from the back. With food in hand, he leaned against the counter next to Ray and started eating, uncaring about the temperature of the food. Ray finished making his sandwich, embarrassment fading, and turned to take his meal outside. “Nice pipes, by the way,” Michael added. “You make that band sound like they’re not a piece of shit.”

Without comment, Ray hurried from the room and Michael burst out laughing, tomato still on his teeth.

Michael didn’t know Ray as one to be embarrassed. Hell, he shrugged it off when he found out about their Tumblr fans and the intense shipping. Any time something happened that should have made him feel shy and nervous, Ray said, “Well, you know, YOLO,” and went back to his work. His reaction to the secret singing was unusual, and intrigued Michael.

When he finished eating and came back to the office, Michael couldn’t help watching Ray out of the corner of his eye. Ray avoided looking at him. After a while, Michael decided to let it drop, and focused on his videos.

Still, Michael’s thoughts kept drifting back to lunch. Ray sounded great for what he heard, and that blush was a pleasant surprise. He wanted to hear more of that voice.

Michael’s chance came when they were all leaving for the day. It was four thirty and Geoff didn’t give a shit if they wanted to clear out for their long weekend. Jack left immediately. Ryan did the last bit of his work before he said goodbye and disappeared. Michael watched them drop off slowly. Even Geoff left before him, waving and yelling at Gavin to hurry up so they could go home. Michael closed his work and slowly put his coat on, watching Ray don the hoodie he started wearing when he got his terrible haircut. His hair had grown back by now, and the weather didn’t warrant a large sweater, but Ray continued to wear it occasionally.

Before he could leave, Michael stepped in front of Ray with a grin that wasn’t quite innocent. “Got any plans for the weekend?” he asked, moving from Ray’s path just before his friend could wonder if Michael was up to something.

“Nah.” Ray shook his head and made his way out of the Achievement Hunter office. Michael walked beside him. “I might see a movie, I guess.”

“You could hit me up for some games,” Michael suggested as they moved through the building and down to the parking lot. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

“Sure, maybe.” Ray turned to leave the lot for the walk home, expecting Michael to go to his car. He started when Michael put a hand on his shoulder.

The redhead kept Ray in place and looked him in the eye. “I really did like it, Ray,” he said, doing his best not to make some joke and embarrass him again. “The singing. It was good.”

“Oh.” Ray turned red again. “Thanks, Michael. I should get going, though.” Ray shook his hand off. “Have a good night.”

“You too.” Michael let him go easily and watched Ray practically run to the parking lot exit. “Come by tomorrow night,” he called, before Ray was gone. The younger man hesitated, and continued walking. Michael smirked and went to his car.

***

He didn’t think Ray would show up, so when he heard his doorbell at six thirty the next night, Michael briefly wondered who it was before he remembered. He set his controller down and went to the door.

Ray stood on the other side, a few games in his hand. “Hey, Michael,” he said with a smile, no hint of yesterday’s event on his face. “Up for some gaming?”

“Sure, come on in.” Michael stood aside to let Ray pass and shut the door. He went to his fridge and pulled out a liter of soda, and took couple cups from the cupboard. “I’ll order us a pizza.” Michael punched in the number on his cell. “Any toppings?”

“Anything but anchovies or broccoli,” Ray said with a shrug. Michael nodded and ordered them half cheese and half pepperoni. Michael thought about getting himself a beer, and tossed the thought away. Soda for a night wouldn’t kill him, and drinking was considerably less fun when your company didn’t drink. Michael poured himself some coke from the soda bottle, along with a cup for Ray.

“What’s on the game list?” Michael eyed the boxes Ray still held.

“Just some stuff I had lying around.” Ray dumped the games on the kitchen counter and picked up his own drink. “Halo, Call of Duty, some one time games that weren’t terrible when I played them. I figured you had a lot if we didn’t play these.”

“I do have one game in mind, actually.” Michael set his soda on the counter and moved into his tiny excuse for a living room. On a shelf he had almost all of his Xbox games, some stacked neatly and some crammed in without a second thought. He tugged a box from the shelf, holding back his grin. “How about this?” Michael held up the game for Ray to see, and watched the blood rush to his face. “Gavin gave it to me as a joke,” he explained, stepping closer. “But in light of your talents, we could put it to good use.”

“Fuck you,” Ray said, frowning. “Why do you keep bringing it up?”

Michael laughed, tossing the karaoke game to the side. “Relax, Ray, I’m kidding. I don’t even have microphones for my Xbox. Gavin didn’t realize you need ‘em for singing games.”

Ray said nothing, tightening his grip on his drink.

Michael saw his face, and his expression softened. “Dude, I’m joking.” He paused, and said, “But if you didn’t want someone hearing you, why were you singing at work?”

Ray watched him a minute, and sighed. “I thought no one would hear me, or that I would notice somebody coming in.” He swirled the glass in his hands.

Sitting in one of the chairs by the counter, Michael stared at Ray intently. “Well, you’re a good singer, and I don’t see why you’re so wound up about it. I wouldn’t mind hearing more.”

That comment only made Ray blush brighter. He set his soda on the counter and took a shy step away from Michael. “It isn’t something I do in front of people,” he said, fidgeting with his t shirt.

“Why not?” Michael quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t give a shit about all the other embarrassing stuff you do. Why do you care about the one thing that isn’t completely idiotic?”

Ray only shrugged. “I dunno. I’m weird?” he offered, unsure of the statement. Michael chuckled, putting his arms on the counter.

“I like weird,” he said, smiling. “And I like singing, so I highly recommend you do it again sometime soon.”

Ray looked at Michael a long moment, and glanced at the game he tossed to the floor. “You don’t need a video game to do karaoke.” He swallowed, willing his blush to go away. “If you pull up YouTube, I’ll sing any One Direction song you want.”

The redhead grinned victoriously, and obeyed, taking his phone out. He typed in One Direction and scanned the results. Michael knew nothing of the band or their music save for what Ray talked about. He set the phone on the counter and scooted it toward Ray. “Pick something, I don’t know what any of this shit is.”

Ray looked at the screen, scrolling over the concert and fan videos to find an actual song. After a minute, he found something acceptable, and clicked on it. He glanced at Michael, who watched him expectantly. Ray gulped, taking a deep breath as the video loaded.

In truth, Ray would sing for the whole office if they asked for it. He sang at home all the time without a care for the neighbors that heard. The difference was the person listening. In all his fantasies, Ray got nervous every time he thought about Michael hearing him.

The video loaded, and low music played from the phone speaker. Michael turned it up a few ticks. Ray shifted on his feet while the intro music filled the air. He took another breath, waiting for the lyrics to start, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth.

It was much better than listening through a door, that much Michael would say. He leaned forward as Ray sang, shakily at first, and then, cracking an eye open to see Michael’s intent expression, with more confidence.

Despite the increasing confidence, Ray was quiet, barely able to hear his own voice over the sound of his heart beat. The voices of the band played under him on the phone. He sang through the first verse chorus, and second verse before he stopped, both for breath and because he wasn’t sure he could handle any more knowing how Michael stared at him. He opened his eyes slowly, vowing never to do that again.

Michael had wide eyes, his chin resting in his hands. He shook himself when Ray cut off, breaking from his mild trance. “Wow,” he said, as Ray paused the video on the phone. “That was fucking awesome. Where’d you learn to do that?”

Another shrug from Ray, who refused to meet Michael’s gaze. “I sing in my free time, that’s all. Did you …” Ray bit his lip. “Did you really like it that much?”

“Yeah, of course.” Michael straightened in his chair. “I wouldn’t ask you to do if I didn’t wanna listen.” He was about to say more, when the doorbell rang. “Oh, the pizza. Stay here.”

Michael stood to answer the door. Ray fidgeted on the balls of his feet. He took Michael’s phone and exited YouTube. Even a minute of singing was too much for tonight. They could eat dinner, play games, and forget about the event. Just hearing that Michael thought Ray had talent was enough to fuel another year of silent fantasies for him.

The pizza was hot and delicious. Ray picked his drink back up to sip between bites. Michael wolfed down two slices before he touched the soda, chugging half a glass in one go. He ate like an animal. Ray could only chuckle with his single slice of pepperoni.

“Let’s get down to business,” Michael said when they were near finished. “We can play Halo first.” He sat in front of his Xbox and slipped the game in. Ray made his way over, picking up the extra controller. It seemed Michael finally dropped the singing, and Ray forced the memory away for now.

The game went on for hours, Michael effortlessly switching the discs when they got bored of one thing and wanted to play something else. It was dark in the city of Austin when they finally took a break. Ray tossed his controller and leaned back in his seat. He turned to Michael, who pushed his glasses up his nose and breathed deep.

Michael noticed this, and looked at Ray. They kept eye contact for a minute, and Ray broke it, glancing out the window. Michael stood from his chair and moved in front of Ray. “Are you gonna head home?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Ray stretched and stood as well. “I’ve got a big day of doing nothing ahead of me tomorrow,” he said with a laugh.

Michael cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “If you haven’t got plans, why not stay here?”

Ray nearly choked on his own breath, whirling his head to look Michael in the eye. “Stay here?” He thought he would die of embarrassment when he sang for him. Staying with Michael was too much. “I-I can’t, it’d be kinda weird, wouldn’t it? Guys don’t have sleepovers.” Ray scratched the back of his head and turned away.

Michael scoffed. “You don’t give a shit about guy stuff and we both know it, Mr. I Don’t Drink. It’s late anyway. Stay here.” He gave Ray a look that Michael hoped conveyed his intention. If asking the Puerto Rican to sing for him wouldn’t get the message through, maybe this would.

Ray wrung his hands over his arms and gulped again. “I can get home just fine, Michael, so-”

“God dammit,” the redhead said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Idiot, I’m not inviting you to _sleep_ here, I’m inviting you to sleep _with me_.”

Time seemed to stop. Ray’s eyes went wide, his lips parted in shock. “Um.” He swallowed thickly, bringing his gaze from the floor. “Michael, are- are you serious?”

He nodded quickly. “I meant it when I said I liked your singing.” Michael played with his glasses a bit. “When I heard you in the break room yesterday, I thought it was cute. I guess you can say I had an ulterior motive, asking you to come here.”

Ray shuffled back and forth. “That’s kinda fast, isn’t it?” he finally said. “We’re best friends. I never really pictured sleeping with you.” A complete lie, but Ray would kill himself if he messed up the only chance he might ever have.

“I don’t care about fast or slow,” Michael said with a shrug. “But, if you like slow, I can go slow.” He moved closer, intent on breaking the tension. Ray stiffened visibly at the proximity. “I still want you to stay here, though.” Michael leaned in, his faces inches from Ray. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll take you out on the town, make you feel special like you deserve,” he joked.

“M-Michael!” Ray stepped back swiftly. “This isn’t a game.” He tried to frown, though it was hard with emotions whipping through his mind at a mile a minute. “If you really want this, it has to be serious. I-” Ray clamped his mouth shut.

Michael raised an eyebrow. “You, what? Finish your sentence.”

Ray paused. “I like you,” he said, quiet. “A lot.” He clenched his fingers. “You were right, before. When you said I don’t care about embarrassing stuff. I shake off what people say because my own opinion is what matters most. But.” He stopped himself, the words refusing to leave his lips. “But,” Ray said again, forcing himself to be honest. “I don’t want to mess up in front of the one person whose opinion matters more than mine.”

The words took a minute to sink in, and Michael lost any coherent answer as he realized what Ray meant. He thought the younger man would be open to fooling around. Michael didn’t even mind wooing him for a couple weeks before they did anything. He could play the romantic when trying to get into someone’s pants. This, however, wasn’t a crush or simply saying yes to Michael.

Ray was in love with him.

At least, Michael was fairly sure, judging by Ray’s continued blush and constantly shifting gaze. He never acted differently at work. Michael might not have guessed if he hadn’t caught Ray singing. Even then, Michael never thought the situation was … well, person specific.

“You really feel that way?” Michael said slowly. Ray nodded. “And if we did anything, you would want more than just a fling?”

Ray’s heart clenched. That was what Michael had been asking for. A fling. It shouldn’t have surprised him, the way Michael handled his other relationships with men. Still, Ray said, “Yeah, I would.”

Michael considered this, watching Ray as he thought. The younger man avoided looking at Michael, staring around the apartment and settling for the window again. The lights of the city were bright, the night life alive and thrumming around the tiny apartment building. Michael remembered his previous romantic encounters. He never had anything serious with a guy before. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get into that, even with Ray.

“Sing for me.”

Ray broke from his stare out the window. “Huh?”

“You said my opinion matters the most.” Michael’s tongue felt strange with the weight of those words. “And if this is a serious thing, and you like singing so much, then I wanna hear it. Really hear it. No under the breath stuff or singing to a YouTube video. I wanna hear just you.”

“It’s only singing,” Ray said, trying to dismiss the subject.

“And it’s the only time I’ve seen you embarrassed in front of me,” Michael retorted. “If you’re so in love with me and that’s the only time you get nervous, it obviously matters a lot. Sing for me, and I’ll tell you if I’m willing to try something serious with you.”

Ray frowned and crossed his arms. “I kind of want a relationship to hinge on more than singing, Michael.”

“Just do it, you big baby.” Michael took a step back to give him space. “One line. Sing like you’re in a concert.”

With an incredulous look, far more tired than Ray felt before the discussion started, he thought of the songs he enjoyed. If Ray knew anything about Michael, it was that he wouldn’t want an intense relationship, and singing wouldn’t make a difference. They were friends and possibly fuck buddies in Michael’s eyes, nothing more.

There was a reason Ray kept his feelings to himself until now.

Resigned to rejection, he closed his eyes as he had before. Forcing himself not to get stiff with anxiety, Ray parted his lips to sing again.

Michael was on him in a second. His hand grabbed Ray’s face and their lips collided, harsh at first and then gentle as Michael got a handle on what he was doing. Ray froze on the spot, eyes flying open to stare at Michael. As the redhead kissed him again and moved his hands higher to run through Ray’s hair, he melted into the kiss, the scent of Michael filling his nostrils. His hands went to Michael’s sides, resting there gently. Any brain function he had before was shot.

“Moron,” Michael said, panting as he drew back. “I don’t need to hear you again to know I wanna be with you. We’re best friends. And if you want something serious.” He hesitated, and gave Ray a peck to the lips. “I can try that.”

Ray didn’t say anything as his brain caught up to what was happening. Michael kissed him. Michael was willing to try dating. His hands were on Michael’s body, touching him through his Fluttershy t shirt. It seemed impossible.

“Hey, are you awake?” Michael leaned a bit further away to give Ray space. The hands on his sides tightened automatically, and Michael stopped. He smirked, one hand trailing down to rest over Ray’s. “That’s a yes, then?”

Ray swallowed, trying to think through his options and failing. “Yeah,” he said, with no better response. “If you’re comfortable with dating, yeah.”

That was all Michael needed. The hand on Ray’s head pushed him forward and they kissed again. His other hand wound around Ray’s torso to feel up his back. Without thinking, his mind jumped to the bedroom, how far they would go and who would top if they wanted to go there, whether Ray knew what it was like to sleep with a man, how long he’d been in love with Michael-

He stopped those thoughts, even as he moved to kiss the younger man’s neck. Ray gasped at the feeling, completely still except for his hands, which continued to feel up Michael’s waist but refused to explore. Ray wanted it slow. Michael had to remember that.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said, pulling away. The look Ray gave him was equivalent to a deer in the headlights. “To sleep, you idiot.” Michael chuckled a bit, trailing a hand down Ray’s arm. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m a patient person.”

Ray glanced toward the door and back to Michael. “Only if I can borrow some pajamas.”

Michael nodded confirmation, and took Ray’s hand to lead him to his bedroom. The soda and leftover pizza remained forgotten on the counter. Ray could only think of Michael, their hands together, his heart beating against his ribcage.

The bedroom was dark, and Michael turned on his only lamp. The light shone low around the room. He opened his dresser and dug out a pair of pajama slacks and an old shirt, tossing them to Ray. “Here. Put those on while I use the bathroom.”

After Ray was in pajamas and Michael brushed his teeth, they switched, Michael changing and Ray using the spare toothbrush. When they were ready for bed, Michael crawled under the sheets. Ray made for the door.

“Where are you going?” Michael slapped a hand against the mattress. “Get over here.”

“What?” Ray turned to face him. “You want me in bed with you?”

“Why the fuck else would I drag you in here?” Michael shucked the blankets aside to open Ray’s side of the bed, and hit the mattress again. “You’re sleeping here. If I hate it, I’ll kick you out.”

Another blush crept onto Ray’s face as he walked to the bed, slowly sitting down and working his feet under the blankets. Michael sped the process, yanking the sheets up to his waist and grabbing his arm. Ray yelped, hitting Michael’s chest. The redhead curled his arms around him and tucked Ray’s head under his chin. “Fucking finally. Is this okay for you?”

“Y-Yeah,” Ray stuttered, only thinking of the heat and the feel of Michael’s arms and his chest and he never thought his fantasies would come true so abruptly.

“All right.” Michael stretched to turn the lamp off, and resumed cuddling Ray. “Tomorrow we can go to lunch or dinner or something.”

Ray felt hope rise within him. “Like a date?”

Michael laughed and held Ray closer. “Yeah, like a date.”  


End file.
